1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a projector for projecting an image using an optical modulator unit such as a liquid crystal light valve or the like.
2. Related Art
One conventional projector illuminates a single liquid crystal panel at three different input angles by collecting white light from a light source with a concave mirror so as to allow it to enter one end of a rod integrator, and allowing the output light from the other end of the rod integrator to enter a dichroic mirror of a set of three mirrors via a lens (see JP-A-2002-323670).
Further, another conventional projector disposes a light source array so as to be opposed to one end of a light guide in a square bar shape and a liquid crystal panel is disposed so as to be opposed to the other end of the light guide, for allowing a light source beam from the light source array to directly enter the one end of the light guide and illumination light from the other end of the light guide to directly enter the liquid crystal panel (see FIGS. 6 and 7 of JP-A-2000-112031).
However, because the output light from the rod integrator is caused to enter the liquid crystal panel via the lens in the former projector, the illumination light that has been made uniform once becomes non-uniform again due to imaging accuracy of the lens or the like. Further, because a part of the output light from the rod integrator leaks outside of the liquid crystal panel, waste of illumination light is caused.
Further, because the light source beam from the light source array is allowed to directly enter the one end of the light guide in the latter projector, in the case where the size of the light source array exceeds the sectional size of the light guide, waste of the light source beam is caused. That is, in the case where the size of the unit light source is large, it becomes difficult to incorporate the light source in the light source array, and thereby, the option of selecting the size of the light source becomes narrow and a sufficient amount of light cannot be ensured.
Accordingly, the invention aims to provide a projector capable of illuminating a liquid crystal panel with uniform illumination light without loss of illumination light during at the time of illumination.
Further, the invention aims to provide a projector capable of illuminating a liquid crystal panel with illumination light from light sources in various sizes in a sufficient amount of light.